Being at Australia skill level 1 gets you considered. It does not get you a visa. The occupation still has to appear on the right list for the subclass you want, and there is exactly one stream where no list applies, which turns on something other than skill level entirely.
Here is how the pieces actually fit together in 2026.
What skill level 1 means, and what it is not
Skill level 1 is the top of the five-level structure. It describes occupations normally requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, sometimes with professional registration on top, as for doctors and engineers.
It is a classification of the occupation, not a status you hold and not a list you are on. Its real effect is at the bottom of the scale rather than the top: occupations at skill level 4 or 5 are generally excluded from the points-tested and employer-sponsored skilled streams altogether. Being at level 1 means you are not excluded. It does not mean you are eligible.
The three routes, and what each actually asks
| Route | Occupation requirement | Salary floor from 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Core Skills stream, subclass 482 | On the Core Skills Occupation List, 456 occupations, at skill level 1, 2 or 3 | AUD 79,423, or the market rate, whichever is higher |
| Specialist Skills stream, subclass 482 | No list. Major groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 only | AUD 146,717 |
| Employer Nomination Scheme, subclass 186 | Skill level 1, 2 or 3 | As for the relevant stream |
| Regional, subclass 494 | As for Core Skills | AUD 79,423 |
Note the words whichever is higher. The threshold is a floor, not a target: if Australians doing that job in that city are paid more, that is what your offer has to match. Which is why a table of average salaries is the wrong thing to plan against and the published floor is the right one. The 482 is set out in our Skills in Demand guide.
The stream with no list, and its strange exclusion
The Specialist Skills stream is the most interesting door in the Australian system, because it does not consult an occupation list at all. Clear AUD 146,717 and the question of whether your job is listed does not arise.
But it keys off the ANZSCO major group rather than the skill level, and three major groups are shut out:
| Major group | Specialist Skills stream |
|---|---|
| 1 Managers | Eligible |
| 2 Professionals | Eligible |
| 3 Technicians and trades workers | Excluded |
| 4 Community and personal service workers | Eligible |
| 5 Clerical and administrative workers | Eligible |
| 6 Sales workers | Eligible |
| 7 Machinery operators and drivers | Excluded |
| 8 Labourers | Excluded |
Read it twice, because it is counter-intuitive. A very highly paid tradesperson is excluded from the list-free stream while a clerical or sales role on the same salary is not. If you are in major group 3, 7 or 8, the Specialist Skills stream is closed to you however much you earn, and the Core Skills list is your route.
OSCA, and why your code may look wrong
On 6 December 2024 the Australian Bureau of Statistics replaced ANZSCO with OSCA, the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia. If you look your job up and find a code that does not match your paperwork, this is usually why.
For migration purposes nothing has changed. Home Affairs still uses ANZSCO: the 2022 version for subclass 186 and 482, and the 2013 version for the lists used by other skilled subclasses. Two different ANZSCO versions are in play at once, which is its own trap. Use the code from the list for your subclass, not the code from a statistical publication. Home Affairs publishes the occupation lists and the ABS publishes OSCA.
Where skill level 1 demand actually sits
Across the occupation lists and the state nomination programmes, the skill level 1 roles that recur are narrower than the sector labels suggest:
- Medicine: general practitioners above all, and specialists, with regional placement the fastest route in.
- Nursing, which registers at skill level 1 and is on every list that exists.
- Engineering: civil and structural especially, against the infrastructure programme.
- ICT: security specialists and systems roles more reliably than general software development.
- Teaching, particularly secondary maths and science.
Points-tested rounds have been demanding in the high 80s and 90s for engineering and ICT, while trades have cleared far lower. If you are at skill level 1 in a crowded profession, an employer-sponsored route is often faster than the points queue. See the Skilled Independent visa and how 186, 189 and 190 compare.
What to do
- Find your ANZSCO code from the list for your subclass, not from OSCA and not from a general search.
- Check the list before the skill level. Level 1 off the list is worth less than level 3 on it.
- If you are over AUD 146,717, check your major group. Groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 can skip the list entirely.
- Get the skills assessment moving early. It is the slowest step and every route needs it.
- Compare the offer to the market rate, not just to the threshold. The higher of the two is what must be paid.
Related: the Employer Nomination Scheme, the Skilled Nominated visa and applying for visa jobs in Australia. Browse Australian shortage jobs with visa sponsorship on our board.
Last checked September 2026. Thresholds are indexed each 1 July and occupation lists are revised periodically. Confirm both with the Department of Home Affairs before relying on them.
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